Chapter 118: In Another Life, I Would Be Your SonRILEYI nodded eagerly, scooting over to make room for him to sit on the edge of my mattress instead. The book was about a brave little wolf who went on adventures and learned important lessons about friendship and courage. Mr. Xenois had read it with different voices for each character, making me giggle despite the heaviness in my chest.When he'd finished the story and closed the book, I'd looked at him carefully in the soft light from my lamp."Mr. Xenois?" I asked quietly."Yes?""Are you sad that I replaced Ollie?"Mr. Xenois had looked confused, his eyebrows drawing together. "What do you mean, replace him?""I know you're my father," I'd said, the words coming out in a rush before the magic could stop me. Maybe because I was talking to him instead of trying to tell someone about Mommy, the necklace wasn't preventing me from saying this part. "I figured it out, and I want to know if you hate me for that.""Riley," Mr. Xenois had
Chapter 117: The Last DinnerRILEYThe grandfather clock in the dining room chimed at midnight, its deep, resonant tones echoing through the quiet house. I'd been lying in bed since dinner, staring at the ceiling and thinking about everything that had happened today – and everything that was going to happen tomorrow.Dinner was different tonight. Mr. Xenois had come home just as we were sitting down to eat, which surprised both me and Mommy. He'd been staying away from the house ever since he got out of the hospital, and I'd started to think he might never come back.But tonight he'd sat across from me at the big dining table, asking me questions about how I was doing, what I'd been playing with, if I was sleeping okay. His attention felt warm and genuine, not like the distracted way he sometimes looked at me when Mommy was around."I'm sorry I haven't been here more," he'd said, cutting his food but watching my face carefully. "I know I should have been spending time with you, especi
Chapter 116: Fractured Royalties LUMINAI left the office quickly, my mind filled with a lot of conflicting emotions. The conversation with Xenois had shaken me more than I wanted to admit, especially when he'd mentioned that dream about us dying in a car accident.My steps faltered in the hallway as the memory of that terrible night crashed over me.The rain, the desperate need to get away from the pain of watching Xenois choose Sophia and Riley over us again, trying to make Ollie feel better about the broken promise by taking him to get ice cream as an additional treat. the way the car had skidded on the wet pavement, the moment of absolute terror before the impact, Ollie's heart not withstanding the pain and pressure before dying, me dying in his arms...But that was my previous life, my previous death when Sophia had won. How could Xenois have dreamed about it? Was it possible that somehow, in some way, he remembered about it? Or was it simply a coincidence, his subconscious fe
Chapter 115: I Don't Like You, Neither Do I Care About Your Feelings.LUMINA "You shouldn't have provoked him like that," I said to Zade crossing my hands across my chest as soon as the call ended, turning to face him with disapproval written across my face. The tension in the room was still heavy from the confrontation that Zade had with my mate and I could see the satisfaction in Zade's eyes that made my stomach turn a bit, making me uneasy.Zade shrugged, moving around his desk to lean against it casually, as if he hadn't just deliberately antagonized the father of my child. "We're still rivals first and foremost, Lumina. I wanted to have the last word, and I did.""That wasn't about rivalry," I insisted, knowing that he was trying to play it off as a mere Alpha rivalry. "That was about hurting him when he's already down. When he's already lost everything.""Has he though?" Zade asked, his dark eyes studying my face with intensity. "Because from what I just heard, he seems to
Chapter 114: Sometimes Love isn't Enough XENOIS "You take good care of my family," I said through gritted teeth, my free hand clenched tightly, hating that I had to depend on this man for their safety."Of course," Zade replied smoothly, like he was amused about the whole thing and I hated it. "They're safe here, and they'll continue to be safe for as long as they choose to stay.""And Zade?" I couldn't help myself from adding, my Alpha instincts rising up with possessiveness. "Don't get any ideas about my mate. She's off limits, and I trust you to remember that, and they better be staying in completely separate areas MILES away from your room."There was a pause, and then Zade's voice came through with what I could swear was amusement and a hint of mockery in his tone."Are you giving me ideas, Blackwood? What would you do if I decided to try it out?"My vision went red briefly as my wolf asserted itself with rage pushing closer to the surface."You better think carefully about w
Chapter 113: Echoes Of The PastXENOIS"I love you too," Lumina's voice came through softly, and for a moment, hope rose in my chest like the sun rays were breaking through storm clouds. But then she continued, and each word felt like a knife stab in my guts and it was being twisted."But Xenois, I can't keep doing this. The back and forth between us, the uncertainty, the pain... it's destroying all of us. Maybe we need time to really think about what we want, whether what we have is really worth fighting for or if we should consider... a mate rejection.""No," I said immediately, my voice sounding raw with pain and desperation as I tried to push down my panic. I was not going to give them up so easily. "Lumina, please don't say that, you can't tell me that you want that. I know now. I understand everything that went wrong.""You understand what exactly?" she asked, and there was exhaustion in her voice that made my heart ache even more."I had a dream," I began, knowing how insane